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Doctor Appointments - 7 Ways to Get One Quickly

Being a medical receptionist at your doctor's office is not an easy job. The 'phones ring constantly. The receptionist is expected to prioritize requests for appointments so that people with urgent medical problems are seen before those who can afford to wait. Most days there are fewer available appointments slots than there are people calling to demand one of these fast appointments.

If you need to see your doctor quickly you have to convince the receptionist that you merit a fast appointment. Here are 7 ways to do this:

1. Speak calmly and courteously. Treating the receptionist like an obstacle or a being of lesser intelligence will not help your cause. Learn the receptionist's name in advance and use it when you call the office. "Hi Marilyn, this is Joan Smith calling..." You want to be seen as a fellow human being, not just another demanding, disembodied voice on the 'phone.

2. Be willing to describe your medical issue to the receptionist. They're trained to respect your confidentiality and the doctor expects them to assess appointment requests so that more urgent cases are seen first. When the receptionist asks, "Why do you need to see the doctor?" view this request for information as a golden opportunity to (persuasively) explain why you need to be seen quickly.

3. Describe your symptoms using objective details. When did the symptoms start? How high is the fever? Tell the receptionist if you have an underlying medical condition. A severe cough is a more serious symptom if you have chronic asthma.

4. Did your doctor tell you to come back if you experience "X" symptom? If so, tell the receptionist this because it means your request for an appointment is the doctor's idea. That's all any receptionist needs to justify giving you an appointment. Warning: Never lie about whether your doctor told you to come back. The receptionist will find out and your credibility will be destroyed.

5. If the receptionist does not agree that you need a fast appointment you may ask to speak to the doctor (or request that the doctor give you a call back) so you can describe your symptoms to him or her. Another idea is to respectfully ask the receptionist if they would please ask your doctor whether you should be seen quickly in view of your symptoms?

6. If your doctor is 100% booked (and has told the receptionist s/he'll be keel hauled if any unauthorized appointments are scheduled) then a good strategy may be to persuade the receptionist that you really need the appointment and then ask if you can see another doctor in the same practice?

7. If no one at your doctor's office can see you then your options are to wait until your doctor is available or seek treatment elsewhere. You may either attend a walk-in clinic or (if the problem is genuinely severe and urgent) the Emergency department at a local hospital. In these cases, it is especially important that you bring your health journal with you because no doctor will treat you without asking you for your basic medical history. If you're seen at an Emergency department, ask them to send a copy of any test results to your regular doctor's office.

Most medical receptionists are caring (if somewhat rushed) people who want to be helpful. However, there are exceptions. My daughter had a couple of bad experiences with a receptionist at our dentist's office. She was so annoyed that she quit going to that office. When I told my dentist what happened he was really troubled to hear about my daughter's experiences. His immediate response was, "We try to train people so that doesn't happen but sometimes problems occur. If she'd asked to speak to me I would have rectified the situation immediately." The lesson I took from this is that if you feel you've been reasonable but the receptionist has not, remain calm and discuss the matter with your doctor.

by virginia Menzie

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How to Fight High Cholesterol in 5 Seconds Or Less

If you have high cholesterol, then you have probably been instructed by your doctor about a variety of ways to treat it. Some options include altering your diet and taking medicine to change the way your body interacts with foods and other stimuli to get a lower cholesterol measurement.

However, one of the most frustrating things about regulating cholesterol and fighting high cholesterol for many people is that it just plain takes too long. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a daily battle, but sometimes the results can take weeks or even months to manifest themselves. Often, people find that altering their diets is just too hard, and that adding in exercise when they have gone without it for years can be seriously tedious.

But what if you could do something in just about five seconds a day that could potentially lower your cholesterol dramatically in addition to potentially resolving a number of other health problems like migraines, arthritis, joint stiffness and macular degeneration? Now, before you get carried away, this does *not* mean that you can forego all of the other stuff that is hard and takes more time. But imagine if you also had one thing that you were doing that was easy, fast and relatively inexpensive. You would probably stay more motivated about the whole thing, wouldn't you? Of course you would. And that is where omega fatty acids come in.

Studies have shown that people who have adequate omega levels tend to have lower cholesterol and tend to be able to lower their cholesterol more quickly than people who have omega 3 deficiencies (and that's most of us!). Omega's are found in fatty fish like tuna and salmon, but in order to get enough omega 3 via diet alone, you would have to eat nearly 2 pounds of fish a day. Not surprisingly, most people prefer to supplement their omega 3 levels via an omega 3 dietary supplement rather than with tank-full after tank-full of fish.

Omega 3 fish oil supplements may not replace your cholesterol medication, and they cannot be taken in place of a healthy diet. However, they can speed the changes in your body and your physiological systems that will ultimately make you more healthy.

For more information on omega 3's and fish oil benefits, access http://www.omega-3.us.

Michael Byrd has over 25 years of education and experience in the fields of physical therapy, health, fitness and nutrition. His pursuit of wellness has shown him many fish oil health benefits as well as the benefits of using natural whole foods to help you look younger, feel better and stay healthy. Michael will even send you a Free CD

by michael byld

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The Latest About Heart Health

There is always new information coming out about how to protect our heart health and reduce our risk of age-related diseases like atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. The importance of being physically active is not news, but the role played by calcium and trans-fats in the bloodstream is news, to many people.

The plaques that form along the interior of the arterial walls are composed of fats, calcium and various amounts of tissue. Just a few years ago, fats or high triglycerides in the bloodstream were considered the greatest, if not the only, risk factor for plaque buildup.

High cholesterol has been cited and blamed for years, as well. But, a growing amount of evidence indicates that high cholesterol, alone, is not enough to increase a person's risk of atherosclerosis.

First of all, the fats must be oxidized or hardened. Most fats and cholesterol move through the bloodstream quickly, too quickly to become oxidized. Dietary fats are broken down by enzymes. Cholesterol is converted to bile. Everything travels along relatively quickly.

There is one type of dietary fat, however, that is not metabolized by the body's enzymes. That type of fat has been named "trans-fat".

For heart health, it is best to avoid trans-fat, which is why you will now see it listed in the nutrition facts of foods containing it. You can also read the ingredients label and look for partially hydrogenated oils, of any type.

If you see the ingredient, there are trans-fatty acids in the product, even if they are not listed on the nutrition facts. Food manufacturers are not required to list the amount of trans-fatty acids if they are present in very small amounts.

Because trans-fatty acids are not metabolized by the body's enzymes, they stay in the bloodstream longer, which makes it more likely that they will become oxidized or hardened.

According to the latest research from Germany, milk and dairy products have an adverse effect on heart health, partly because of the calcium that they contain and partly because of the type of protein they contain.

Calcium is essential for bone development and regular intake is recommended for the prevention of osteoporosis. But when calcium is consumed, other nutrients, especially vitamin K2 must be present. Vitamin K2's job is to insure that the calcium ends up in the right places and does not adhere to the walls of the arteries.

One of the questions that many people have about heart health has to do with whether or not the plaques can be dissolved. We know more now than we did in years past about the healthiest diets. So, 10 years ago, we may have been eating the wrong things.

So, if some calcification or oxidation of fats is present in our arteries, can it be cleaned out? Right now, members of the mainstream medical community would probably say "no". But, a doctor of naturopathic medicine might say "yes".

by patsy hamilton

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Why Are Polar Heart Rate Monitors So Popular?

Polar has a superb reputation for its heart rate monitors, and for good reason. Since 1977, when it was established in Finland, it has been making mainly heart monitors and little else. In addition, it has continued to drive forward with the latest technology, to the extent that its monitor are now sometimes referred to as fitness computers.

So popular are the company's products that today it employs 1,200 people at 26 subsidiaries around the world, and supplies more than 35,000 retail outlets in over 80 countries.

An example of its advanced technology is the FT80 monitor, which incorporates advanced computer software that guides you through a work-out session based on your own training habits. Other features include the ability to measure the number of calories you have burned during your work-out and a fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest.

Another example is the S725, which is aimed particularly at cyclists. This can actually measure and display your speed, the distance your have covered during a training session and even your elevation.

Thanks to its emphasis on technology, Polar's many advances tend to filter down very quickly to its cheaper models, which are continually being upgraded, and some of these pack a huge number of features for their price.

Thus, the hugely popular F6 enables users to set a target heart rate zone, and during training an alarm will sound whenever they fall outside the zone. It also tells their energy expenditure, both for an individual training session and for a longer period, allowing them to set long-term weight loss goals. The monitor even guides them through a warm-up session that is appropriate for their level of fitness.

BY MARTIN ROTH

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Fish Oil For Cardiovascular Health - Omega 3 For High Cholesterol

Omega 3 or fish oil is polyunsaturated fat found in fish oil, fish, and in food supplements form. It typically has of a mixture of polyunsaturated fatty acids which include docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (ECA). Polyunsaturated fats, especially DHA and EPA, are heart friendly fats since they don't promote atherosclerosis related with heart disease causes. Previous studies have shown that a person who is taking omega 3 has reduced the risk of sudden death from cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have indicated that it can as well lower the risk for cardiovascular diseases by improving the lipids of our body. So, does this Omega 3 help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels?

The common dose tested in these studies ranges about 900 milligrams to 5 grams each day of a combination of DHA and EPA. To get this amount of polyunsaturated fats, one needs to consume many fish. Therefore, food supplements are usually used. Ingesting 900 milligrams of omega 3 fatty acids every day resulted in a four percent drop off in triglyceride levels after five to six months. The average dose used which was effective in most studies was about two to four grams, and this had resulted in decrease in triglycerides for about twenty five to forty-five percent. Omega-3 fatty acid's effectiveness on triglycerides is dose dependent; this means that the more omega-3 fatty acids ingested the lower triglyceride levels in our body will fall. This will work best if you follow a healthy diet. Omega-3 fatty acids seemed to affect newly consumed triglycerides more. Moreover, people with high triglyceride levels (more than 500 mg / dL) appear to gain the most benefit from omega-3 supplementation.

Even though it could lower triglyceride levels, it can slightly elevate low density lipoproteins (also known as "bad" cholesterol or LDL). However, this change is modest and could range from three to ten percent. On the other hand, high density lipoproteins (also known as the "good" cholesterol or HDL) don't appear to be affected by omega-3 supplementation, if not increased to some extent.

Omega 3 fatty acids are available as a supplement or as a prescription at any nutritional store or local pharmacy. Just a gram of omega 3 supplement a day could cause triglycerides to decrease and would help prevent sudden death from cardiovascular diseases. An average of 4 grams of omega 3 fatty acids is normally used to lower triglycerides in people with elevated triglyceride levels. It is suggested that people taking more than three grams each day must consult a health care provider, because high doses of omega 3 fatty acids could decrease the platelets that may cause the occurrence of bleeding more easily.

You have to know that prescribed omega-3 fatty acids have certain amount of DHA and EPA. They are purified and carefully rid of impurities like mercury, trans-fats, and other contaminants. Supplements purchased OTC are classified as "foods". Therefore, they don't have to go through the efficacy studies or thorough purification processes that prescribed drugs have to go undergo.

by raymond thomas

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How to Fight High Cholesterol in 5 Seconds Or Less

If you have high cholesterol, then you have probably been instructed by your doctor about a variety of ways to treat it. Some options include altering your diet and taking medicine to change the way your body interacts with foods and other stimuli to get a lower cholesterol measurement.

However, one of the most frustrating things about regulating cholesterol and fighting high cholesterol for many people is that it just plain takes too long. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a daily battle, but sometimes the results can take weeks or even months to manifest themselves. Often, people find that altering their diets is just too hard, and that adding in exercise when they have gone without it for years can be seriously tedious.

But what if you could do something in just about five seconds a day that could potentially lower your cholesterol dramatically in addition to potentially resolving a number of other health problems like migraines, arthritis, joint stiffness and macular degeneration? Now, before you get carried away, this does *not* mean that you can forego all of the other stuff that is hard and takes more time. But imagine if you also had one thing that you were doing that was easy, fast and relatively inexpensive. You would probably stay more motivated about the whole thing, wouldn't you? Of course you would. And that is where omega fatty acids come in.

Studies have shown that people who have adequate omega levels tend to have lower cholesterol and tend to be able to lower their cholesterol more quickly than people who have omega 3 deficiencies (and that's most of us!). Omega's are found in fatty fish like tuna and salmon, but in order to get enough omega 3 via diet alone, you would have to eat nearly 2 pounds of fish a day. Not surprisingly, most people prefer to supplement their omega 3 levels via an omega 3 dietary supplement rather than with tank-full after tank-full of fish.

Omega 3 fish oil supplements may not replace your cholesterol medication, and they cannot be taken in place of a healthy diet. However, they can speed the changes in your body and your physiological systems that will ultimately make you more healthy.

For more information on omega 3's and fish oil benefits, access http://www.omega-3.us.

Michael Byrd has over 25 years of education and experience in the fields of physical therapy, health, fitness and nutrition. His pursuit of wellness has shown him many fish oil health benefits as well as the benefits of using natural whole foods to help you look younger, feel better and stay healthy. Michael will even send you a Free CD

by michael byrd

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